DOCSLIB.ORG

Miscarriage and the Dignity of the Human Body

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Miscarriage and the Dignity of the Human Body Hope for Healing: Miscarriage and the Dignity of the Human Body Andrew J. Sodergren, M.S. Abstract This paper examines the issue of miscarriage from the perspective of the mother-child couplet. A discussion of the psychology of motherhood and miscarriage highlights the negative impact miscarriage has on the mother. Mothers must be helped to mourn the irreplaceable child lost in miscarriage. A review of Catholic teaching on the human body and dignity of the unborn emphasizes the respect owed to pre-natal human life and the bodies of embryos and fetuses who have died. Finally, it is argued that holding a funeral/burial is the best possible way to assist the mother’s grieving and to respect the deceased child. Current practices and attitudes fail to recognize either of these norms. Hope for Healing: Miscarriage and the Dignity of the Human Body Catholic bioethicists today are continually confronted with a number of pressing issues raised by the culture of death and new medical technologies: stem cell research, cloning, frozen embryos, reproductive technologies, euthanasia, and the like. While it is necessary that scholars and Church officials devote their energies to responding to these many new challenges, a regrettable consequence of this is that less controverted, more mundane issues are sometimes overlooked. When this happens, people are left without sound ethical guidance and support for dealing with situations in their lives. This is precisely the case with miscarriage, a very common and morally delicate event that has received little attention. Central to the issue of miscarriage is the care due to the two people most affected by it: the mother and her unborn child. This paper will thus examine the proper care due to the mother-child couplet. [1] To begin, I examine the psychology of motherhood and miscarriage to provide a human context from which to evaluate any interventions aimed at the mother. Following this, I review Catholic teaching on the human body, care of human corpses, and the dignity of the unborn. Finally, these two lines of thought are integrated, showing that the good of the deceased child and the good of the mother converge. I argue that in light of the substantial grief experienced by the mother and Catholic teaching on the human body, holding a funeral and dignified burial for a miscarried child is the best possible response to such a tragedy. Obstacles preventing the implementation of this response to miscarriage are also discussed. Motherhood and the Psychology of Miscarriage Defined in the professional literature as “the spontaneous termination of an intrauterine pregnancy prior to 28 weeks of gestation resulting in fetal death,” miscarriage “is fairly common, occurring in 10-20% of clinically recognized pregnancies” (Geller, Kerns, & Klier, 2004, p. 35). [2] Researchers have noted, “In the United States in the 1990s, approximately half a million women miscarry annually” (Neugebauer, Kline, Shrout, Skodol, O’Connor, Geller, Stein, & Susser, 1997, p. 383). Approximately 80% of these deaths occur in the first trimester, i.e., conception to 13 weeks (Maker & Ogden, 2003). Thus, miscarriage (also known as “spontaneous abortion”) occurs much more frequently than most people realize, especially in the early phase of pregnancy. The primary medical treatment for miscarriage is dilation and curettage (D&C) (Geyman, Oliver, & Sullivan, 1999). This involves the dilation of the cervix and the surgical removal of the deceased baby and associated structures. This procedure is utilized to ensure that that none of the child’s tissue remains in the uterus increasing the risk of infection 1 and blood loss (McCartney & van der Meer, 1990). It is a quick, outpatient procedure (Kohn & Moffit, 2000) with a high success rate—though not without risks such as damage to or perforation of the uterus. However, it should be noted that Geyman et al. (1999) reviewed the extant literature on treatment of first trimester miscarriage and found that expectant therapy (waiting for the miscarriage to resolve itself naturally) had a success rate approximately equal to D&C. They recommend this treatment in conjunction with transvaginal sonography to ensure that all fetal tissue has been passed. Likewise, Kippley & Kippley (1996) argue from their consultations with experts that D&C is often not medically necessary. Nonetheless, elective D&C has remained the typical manner of treating early miscarriage. Despite the relative brevity of most pregnancies ending in miscarriage noted above, these losses can be devastating for the women who experience them. Before discussing the research illustrating this pain, it is helpful to explore why miscarriage is a particularly painful event for women. This question is best answered by reviewing the Christian vision of motherhood Pope John Paul II offers in his apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem and elsewhere. In his discussions of motherhood, the Pope never fails to provide a proper anthropological grounding: The human being - both male and female - is the only being in the world which God willed for its own sake. The human being is a person, a subject who decides for himself. At the same time, man “cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self”…. This definition of the person corresponds to the fundamental biblical truth about the creation of the human being - man and woman - in the image and likeness of God. This is not a purely theoretical interpretation, nor an abstract definition, for it gives an essential indication of what it means to be human, while emphasizing the value of the gift of self, the gift of the person (John Paul II, 1988, p. 62). For the Pope, a crucial aspect of human nature is that it is given to us as a gift and bears the structure of gift within it such that the fulfillment of the human being is to give himself to another in love. This “other” is most principally God, but as Christ teaches, love of God and love of neighbor cannot be separated (Mk 12:30-31, Jn 13:34, 1 Jn 4:21). Moreover, human nature is an embodied nature, one that always exists in the duality of the sexes. The human being is either a man or a woman, and this difference is irreducible. The two sexes constitute two fundamentally different ways of being human. This sexual difference does not merely affect the physical features of the body but conditions the human person in the deepest way, thereby affecting his entire body-soul composite. However, it does not follow from this that one sex is superior to the other. Rather, they are complementary. The sexual difference enables man and woman to give themselves totally to each other and receive each other as gift in marriage. This self-giving love is a fruitful love that opens to the blessing of children. Through this communion made possible by man’s sexual body, the human family bears an image of the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the one ineffable divinity. Because of the constitutive nature of the sexual difference and man’s vocation to be a gift for another, man and woman reach their fulfillment in and through fatherhood and motherhood. Therefore, the Pope states, This truth about the person also opens up the path to a full understanding of women’s motherhood. Motherhood is the fruit of the marriage union of a man and woman, of that biblical “knowledge” which corresponds to the “union of the two in one flesh” (cf. Gen 2:24). This brings about - on the woman’s part - a special “gift of self”, as an expression of that spousal love whereby the two are united to each other so closely that they become “one flesh”…. This mutual gift of the person in marriage opens to the gift of a new life, a new human being, who is also a person in the likeness of his parents. Motherhood implies from the beginning a special openness to the new person: and this is precisely the woman’s “part”. In this openness, in conceiving and giving birth to a child, the woman “discovers herself through a sincere gift of self”. The gift of interior readiness to accept the child and bring it into the world is linked to the marriage union, which - as mentioned earlier - should constitute a special moment in the mutual self- giving both by the woman and the man. According to the Bible, the conception and birth of a new human being are accompanied by the following words of the woman: “I have brought a man into being with the help of the Lord” (Gen 4:1). This exclamation of Eve, the “mother of all the living” is repeated every time a new human being comes into the world. It expresses the woman’s joy and awareness that she is sharing in the great mystery of eternal generation (John Paul II, 1988, p. 63, underline added). 2 Motherhood, then, has a special importance for the woman because it is inscribed in her very being and flows out of her mutual self-giving with her husband. Her femininity makes her apt to receive her husband’s self-gift and also to receive the new life that God may give as the fruit of their loving communion. The woman’s call thus entails giving herself in a bodily way not only to her husband but to their children as well. Her fulfillment as a human being is always tied in some way to motherhood. [3] Because of the woman’s special aptitude to receive new life and her calling to give herself in a bodily way to this life, there forms an intense bond between mother and child from the very moment of conception.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hysteroscopy with Dilation and Curretage (D & C)
    501 19th Street, Trustees Tower FORT SANDERS WOMEN’S SPECIALISTS 1924 Pinnacle Point Way Suite 401, Knoxville Tn 37916 P# 865-331-1122 F# 865-331-1976 Suite 200, Knoxville Tn 37922 Dr. Curtis Elam, M.D., FACOG, AIMIS, Dr. David Owen, M.D., FACOG, Dr. Brooke Foulk, M.D., FACOG Dr. Dean Turner M.D., FACOG, ASCCP, Dr. F. Robert McKeown III, M.D., FACOG, AIMIS, Dr. Steven Pierce M.D., Dr. G. Walton Smith, M.D., FACOG, Dr. Susan Robertson, M.D., FACOG HYSTEROSCOPY WITH DILATION AND CURRETAGE (D & C) Please read and sign the following consent form when you feel that you completely understand the surgical procedure that is to be performed and after you have asked all of your questions. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact our office prior to your procedure so that we may clarify any pertinent issues. Definition: HysterosCopy is an outpatient procedure that allows your doctor direct visualization of the inside of the uterine cavity (womb) by inserting a thin lighted telescope (hysteroscope) through the vagina (birth canal) and cervix, without making an abdominal incision. This procedure enables your doctor to examine the lining of the uterus, look for polyps, fibroids, scar tissue, blockages of the fallopian tubes, and abnormal partitions. In addition, this procedure allows your doctor to remove or surgically treat many of the abnormalities seen. Dilation and Curettage (D&C) allows your doctor to take a sample of the tissue that lines your uterus (endometrium) and/or to remove polyps, fibroid tumors, or hyperplasia. Suction D&C is used in cases of miscarriage.
    [Show full text]
  • Do Nothing, Do Something, Aspirate: Management of Early Pregnancy
    Disclosure Do Nothing, Do Something, • I train providers in Nexplanon insertion and removal Aspirate: • I do not receive any honoraria for this Management Of Early Pregnancy Loss Sarah Prager, MD, MAS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Washington Objectives Nomenclature By the end of this workshop participants will be able to: Early Pregnancy Loss/Failure (EPL/EPF) Spontaneous Abortion (SAb) 1. Understand diagnosis of early pregnancy loss (EPL) Miscarriage 2. Describe EPL management options in a clinic or the ED. 3. Describe the uterine evacuation procedure using These are all used interchangeably! the manual uterine aspirator (MUA). 4. Demonstrate the use of MUA for uterine Manual Uterine Aspiration/Aspirator (MUA) evacuation using papayas as simulation models. Manual Vacuum Aspiration/Aspirator (MVA) 5. Express an awareness of their own values related Uterine Evacuation to pregnancy and EPL management. Suction D&C/D&C/dilation and curettage Background Imperfect obstetrics: most don’t continue • Early Pregnancy Loss (EPL) is the most common complication of early pregnancy • 8–20% clinically recognized pregnancies • 13–26% all pregnancies • ~ 800,000 EPLs each year in the US • 80% of EPLs occur in 1st trimester • Many women with EPL first contact medical care through the emergency room Brown S, Miscarriage and its associations. Sem Repro Med. 1 Samantha Risk Factors for EPL • Age • 26 yo G2P1 presents to the • Prior SAb emergency room with vaginal • Smoking bleeding after a positive • Alcohol home pregnancy test. An • Caffeine (controversial) ultrasound shows a CRL of • Maternal BMI <18.5 or >25 7mm but no cardiac activity. • Celiac disease (untreated) • She wants to know why this • Cocaine happened.
    [Show full text]
  • Dilation and Curettage (D&C) Consent Form
    Dilation and Curettage (D&C) Consent Form Patient Name: ____________________________________________ Date of Birth: __________ Guardian Name (if applicable): ________________________________ Patient ID: ___________ Washington State law guarantees that you have both the right and the obligation to make decisions regarding your health care. Your physician can provide you with the necessary information and advice, but as a member of the health care team, you must participate in the decision making process. This form acknowledges your consent to treatment recommended by your physician. 1 MY PROCEDURE I hereby give my consent for Dr. or/and his/her associates to perform a Dilation and Curettage upon me. I understand the procedure is to be performed at the First Hill Surgery Center. This has been recommended to me by my physician in order to diagnose or treat dysfunctional uterine bleeding, menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding) increased endometrial thickness, uterine polyps, and/or miscarriage. I understand that the procedure or treatment can be described as follows: The cervix is mechanically dilated and the lining of the uterus is either scraped or suctioned to remove tissue for possible biopsy. This procedure is routinely done in an outpatient surgery center and typically takes 15-20 minutes to complete. General anesthesia or sedation may be required for this procedure and will be administered by a qualified anesthesiologist. Your anesthesiologist will be available to discuss this further with you on the day of your procedure. 2 MY BENEFITS Some potential benefits of this procedure include: Removing tissue from the uterus may temporarily relieve abnormal bleeding lining; removing tissue for biopsy of the uterine lining; resolution of failed pregnancy.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Study of the Bell Jar and the Poetry of a Few Indian Women Poets
    AKHTAR JAMAL KHAN, BIBHUDUTT DASH Approaches to Angst and the Male World: A Comparative Study of The Bell Jar and the Poetry of a Few Indian Women Poets Pitting Sylvia Plath’s speakers against male chauvinism is a usual critical practice, but this antinomy primarily informs her work. Most of her writings express an anguish that transcends the torment of the individual speakers in question, and voices or represents the despair of all women who undergo similar anguish. As David Holbrook writes: “When one knows Sylvia Plath’s work through and through, and has penetrated her inner topography, the confusion, hate and madness become frighteningly apparent” (357). The besetting question is what causes this angst. Apparently, a stifling patriarchal system that sty- mies woman’s freedom seems to be the cause of this anguish. However, it would be lopsided to say that Plath’s work is simply an Armageddon between man and woman. This paper compares Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar (1963) and the poetry of a few twentieth-century Indian women poets such as Kamala Das, Mamta Kalia, Melanie Silgardo, Eunice de Souza, Smita Agarwal and Tara Patel to study the angst experienced by the speakers and their approaches to the male world. Here, the term ‘male world’ refers to any social condition where man overtly or tacitly punctuates a woman’s life. Thus, it precisely refers to a patriarchal social order. Talking about twentieth-century poetry and making references to the posi- tion of women poets, John Brannigan writes: “In their time, Elizabeth Jennings, Sylvia Plath and Eliza- beth Bishop seemed isolated and remote from the male-dominated generation of the fifties and sixties” (Poplawski 632).
    [Show full text]
  • Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin De Siècle Art and Literature
    Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin de Siècle Art and Literature Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin de Siècle Art and Literature Edited by Rosina Neginsky, Marthe Segrestin and Luba Jurgenson Anxiety, Angst, Anguish in Fin de Siècle Art and Literature Edited by Rosina Neginsky, Marthe Segrestin and Luba Jurgenson This book first published 2020 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2020 by Rosina Neginsky, Marthe Segrestin, Luba Jurgenson and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-4383-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-4383-6 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations ..................................................................................... ix Introduction .............................................................................................. xiv Part I: Thresholds Chapter One ................................................................................................. 2 Le Pays intermédiaire saloméen: un lieu entre expérience de l’angoisse et libération créatrice – The Salomean Land Between: A Place between Experience of Anguish and Creative Liberation Britta Benert Chapter Two .............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Model for Teaching Cervical Dilation and Uterine Curettage
    Model for Teaching Cervical Dilation and Uterine Curettage Linda J. Gromko, MD, and Sam C. Eggertsen, MD Seattle, W a s h in g to n t least 15 percent of clinically recognizable pregnan­ METHODS A cies terminate in fetal loss, with the majority occur­ ring in the first trimester.1 Cervical dilation and uterine The fabric model was developed under the guidance of curettage (D&C) is frequently important in the manage­ physicians at the University of Washington Department ment of early pregnancy loss to control bleeding and re­ of Family Medicine and is commercially available.* The duce the risk of infection. D&Cs are also done for thera­ model, designed to approximate a 10-week last-menstrual- peutic first trimester abortions in family practice settings. period-sized uterus, is supported by elastic “ligaments” Resident experience may vary greatly, and some may feel on a wooden frame (Figure 1). A standard Graves spec­ inadequately trained in this procedure. The initial use of ulum can be inserted into the “vagina,” permitting vi­ gynecologic instruments (ie, tenaculum, sound, dilators, sualization of a cloth cervix. After placement of a tena­ curette) can feel awkward to the learner, and extensive culum onto the cervix, a paracervical block can be verbal tutoring may be discomfiting to the awake patient. demonstrated and the uterus sounded. Progressive dilation Training on a model can reduce these problems. After with Pratt or Denniston dilators follows: a drawstring al­ gaining basic skills on a model, the resident can focus on lows for the cervix to retain each successive degree of di­ gaining additional skills and refining technique during pa­ lation.
    [Show full text]
  • A Call to Anguish, by David Wilkerson
    A Call to Anguish, by David Wilkerson And I look at the whole religious scene today and all I see are the inventions and ministries of man and flesh. It’s mostly powerless. It has no impact on the world. And I see more of the world coming into the church and impacting the church, rather than the church impacting the world. I see the music taking over the house of God. I see entertainment taking over the house of God. An obsession with entertainment in God’s house; a hatred of correction and a hatred of reproof. Nobody wants to hear it any more. Whatever happened to anguish in the house of God? Whatever happened to anguish in the ministry? It’s a word you don’t hear in this pampered age. You don’t hear it. Anguish means extreme pain and distress. The emotions so stirred that it becomes painful. Acute deeply felt inner pain because of conditions about you, in you, or around you. Deep pain. Deep sorrow. The agony of God’s heart. We’ve held on to our religious rhetoric and our revival talk but we’ve become so passive. All true passion is born out of anguish. All true passion for Christ comes out of a baptism of anguish. You search the scripture and you’ll find that when God determined to recover a ruined situation… He would share His own anguish for what God saw happening to His church and to His people. And He would find a praying man and take that man and literally baptize him in anguish.
    [Show full text]
  • Dilation and Curettage (D&C)
    Fact Sheet From ReproductiveFacts.org The Patient Education Website of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Dilation and Curettage (D&C) This fact sheet was developed in collaboration with The Society of Reproductive Surgeons “Dilation and curettage” (D&C) is a short surgical as intestines, bladder, or blood vessels, are injured. If procedure that removes tissue from your uterus (womb). any of these organs are injured, they must be repaired You may need this procedure if you have unexplained with surgery. However, if no other organs have been or abnormal bleeding, or if you have delivered a baby injured, long-term complications from a perforation are and placental tissue remains in your womb. D&C also is extremely rare and the uterus heals on its own. performed to remove pregnancy tissue remaining from can occur after a D&C. If you are not a miscarriage or an abortion. Infections pregnant at the time of your D&C, this complication How is the procedure done? is extremely rare. However, 10% of women who were D&C can be done in a doctor’s office or in the hospital. pregnant before their D&C can get an infection, usually You may be given medications to relax you or to put you within 1 week of the procedure. It may be related to a to sleep for a short time. Your doctor will slowly widen sexually transmitted infection or due to normal bacteria the opening to your uterus (cervix). Opening your cervix that pass from the vagina into the uterus during or can cause cramping.
    [Show full text]
  • Fortalezas Del Carácter Y Bienestar Subjetivo En La Adolescencia
    Estudos de Psicologia Estudos de Psicologia, 24(4), outubro a dezembro de 2019, 340-348 340 Character strengths and subjective well-being in adolescence Denise Martins Dametto. Universidade São Francisco Ana Paula Porto Noronha. Universidade São Francisco Abstract The relations between character strengths and subjective well-being (SWB) were assessed in 826 high school students, attending public schools in Sao Paulo, Brazil (aged 14 to 18, 60.3% female). This study explored gender and age differences as well. Results revealed significant correlations between gratitude, hope and zest, and SWB, with coefficients between .52 and .56. Girls presented higher averages on integrity, kindness, and beauty. Adolescents with 17 years old showed higher means on love and curiosity, whereas social intelligence and humility indicated higher levels for adolescents with 18 years old. The research data allowed us to verify that character strengths are directly related to aspects of SWB and can be considered important resources for people’s happiness. Keywords: psychological assessment; positive psychology; character; teenager. Resumo Forças de caráter e o bem-estar subjetivo na adolescência. As relações entre força de caráter e bem-estar subjetivo (BES) foram avaliadas em 826 estudantes do ensino médio de escolas públicas de São Paulo, Brasil (14 a 18 anos, 60,3% do sexo feminino). Este estudo também explorou diferenças de gênero e idade. Os resultados revelaram correlações significativas entre gratidão, esperança e vitalidade com o BES, com coeficientes entre 0,52 e 0,56. As meninas apresentaram médias mais altas de autenticidade, bondade e apreciação do belo. Adolescentes com 17 anos apresentaram maiores médias de amor e curiosidade, enquanto inteligência social e modéstia indicaram níveis mais altos para adolescentes com 18 anos.
    [Show full text]
  • The Strengths-Based Workbook for Stress Relief, Niemiec Shows How Your Strengths Can Be a Resource Both for Joy and Resilience
    “In The Strengths-Based Workbook for Stress Relief, Niemiec shows how your strengths can be a resource both for joy and resilience. This workbook will help readers craft a more meaningful and rewarding life, whether they are seeking to amplify what’s good in their lives or find a way through difficult times.” —Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author of The Upside of Stress and The Willpower Instinct “I’ve worked for decades at the intersection of mind-body health, healing, and stress management. Ryan Niemiec’s book championing the use of character strengths to manage stress is a milestone in mind-body wellness, the first of its kind. It offers a template for shifting how you think about and handle your daily stress. This book is a well-being booster, a resilience enhancer, and a stress manager all in one! At the least, you’ll be freshly empowered to handle your future stressors; and at best, you’ll transform your life while uplifting those around you.” —Joan Borysenko, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind “In this groundbreaking workbook, Ryan Niemiec takes the reader on a journey of discovery, pro- viding help in identifying their stress and character strengths. This process is linked to a range of excellent tools to tackle stress. At the end of each chapter the Learn, Practice, SHARE section assists in embedding what has been learned. This easy-to-read, positive psychology–informed book takes a self-coaching approach and promotes personal growth and development. This book could possibly change your life.” —Stephen Palmer PhD, professor of practice at the Wales Institute for Work-Based Learning at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, founder and director of the Centre for Stress Management, and coauthor of How to Deal with Stress “This book is a breakthrough addition to the field of health and wellness.
    [Show full text]
  • The Political and Moral Battle Over Late-Term Abortion
    CROSSING THE LINE: THE POLITICAL AND MORAL BATTLE OVER LATE-TERM ABORTION Rigel C. Oliverit "This is an emotional,distorted debate. We are using the lives ofa few women to create divisions across this country... -Senator Patty Murray' I. INTRODUCTION The 25 years following the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade2 have seen a tremendous amount of social and political activism on both sides of the abortion controversy. Far from settling the issue of a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, the Roe decision galvanized pro-life and pro- choice groups and precipitated many small "battles" in what many on both sides view to be a "war" between fetal protection and women's access to reproductive choice. These battles have occurred at the judicial, grassroots, and political levels, with each side gaining and losing ground. Pro-life activists staged a nation-wide campaign of clinic protests, which led to Congress's 1994 enactment of the Federal Access to Clinic Entrances law creating specific civil and criminal penalties for violence outside of abortion clinics.3 State legislatures imposed limitations on the right to abortion, including mandatory waiting periods and requirements for parental or spousal notification. Many of these limitations were then challenged before the Supreme Court, which struck down or upheld them according to the "undue burden" standard of review articulated in PlannedParenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.4 Recent developments have shifted the focus of conflict from clinic entrances and state regulation of abortion access to the abortion procedures themselves. The most controversial procedures include RU-486--the "abortion drug"-and a particular late term surgical procedure called intact dilation and extraction ("D&X")-more popularly known as "partial-birth abortion." The controversy surrounding the D&X procedure escalated dramatically in June of 1995, when both houses of Congress first introduced legislation to ban the procedure.
    [Show full text]
  • Prototype Theory and Emotion Semantic Change Aotao Xu ([email protected]) Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
    Prototype theory and emotion semantic change Aotao Xu ([email protected]) Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto Jennifer Stellar ([email protected]) Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Yang Xu ([email protected]) Department of Computer Science, Cognitive Science Program, University of Toronto Abstract provided evidence for this prototype view using a variety An elaborate repertoire of emotions is one feature that dis- of stimuli ranging from emotion words (Storm & Storm, tinguishes humans from animals. Language offers a critical 1987), videos (Cowen & Keltner, 2017), and facial expres- form of emotion expression. However, it is unclear whether sions (Russell & Bullock, 1986; Ekman, 1992). Prototype the meaning of an emotion word remains stable, and what fac- tors may underlie changes in emotion meaning. We hypothe- theory provides a synchronic account of the mental represen- size that emotion word meanings have changed over time and tation of emotion terms, but how this view extends or relates that the prototypicality of an emotion term drives this change to the diachronic development of emotion words is an open beyond general factors such as word frequency. We develop a vector-space representation of emotion and show that this problem that forms the basis of our inquiry. model replicates empirical findings on prototypicality judg- ments and basic categories of emotion. We provide evidence Theories of semantic change that more prototypical emotion words have undergone less change in meaning than peripheral emotion words over the past Our work also draws on an independent line of research in century, and that this trend holds within each family of emo- historical semantic change.
    [Show full text]